She stood at my door around 6:45 a.m. apologetic for the hour, but she’d heard I’d been a birth coach and wondered if she could ask me some questions.
creative commons: David Salafia
It was a couple of weeks before the due date and her husband was going to arrive in Beijing the next day. You can guess where this is going, can’t you?
Here are pieces you might not guess. It snowed the night before and her hospital is on the other side of town. I’m not sure which is worse, riding into a crowded town for a census on a donkey or driving across Beijing in rush hour traffic on a snowy day. Either way, great with child.
Chatting we rode, until words were replaced with deep breathing. Our driver kept his eyes straight ahead, never looking back at us. This was women’s work and, like men the world over, he was being helpful in the ways that those who feel helpless can. Keep your eyes on the road and keep moving.
Her husband was on his way to the airport to fly to Beijing. His eyes, too were fixed on the road before him.
We arrived and were ushered into the labor and delivery room. She squeezed my hands in such a way I was reminded that birth doesn’t come without labor.
But it does come! And life — oh sweet beautiful baby with your ten toes and your ten fingers and your powerful lungs– bursts forth.
Birth is glorious, and painful, and messy, and involves both teamwork and individual effort and some form of professional input or support.
This is true for babies, yes, but also for dreams and projects and plans and life changes. And in this, we are Image Bearers in the ways we were meant to be, creating life in its various forms!
Today, the curtain was lifted just enough for me to glimpse a fresh that birthing was our birthright, both sons and daughters of The Creator.
Q4U: Where have you seen new life in your life?
Just today: breakfast with a business Guy who feels a strong pull into ministry. Lunch with a church planter looking at possibilities. Coffee with a newly retired fellow looking for volunteer opportunities. This was a good day (except for too much food!
Oh Jim, thanks for hearing my plea and stepping up to the plate!
This week as we shared the Good News of re-birth through the Easter Story with 80 Primary Seven children from our two local schools. It so does us all good to be reminded that New Birth is wonderful and free to all.
Yes! It does a body and soul good to hear with fresh ears!
This week I was reminded of the fact that the Good News of new birth depends on us sharing it. 80 young people over two mornings were given the Easter Story through taking a walk through Jerusalem and the events of that first Easter. Amazing!
A new way to praise Him – in the midst of a newly diagnosed, incurable disease. He is still, always, worthy of all praise!
I have a feeling that this isn’t always going to be easy for me to say, but right now, at this moment in time, I mean it with all my heart!
And at this moment, I will claim this with you.
Amy! Somehow I lost you and now went searching again and found Messy Middle -just as rich and real as ever! So happy to be back in your world –
Sue so glad to see your name here!!!
Through His word and His working I’m seeing my life with new eyes almost every day.
:) this just makes me happy